Foam dispensing head

ABSTRACT

A foam dispensing head for attachment to a pressurized container. The spout is a diffuser which decreases the velocity of the foam and permits the spout to be placed directly against the surface on which the foam is to be applied.

United States Patent Ruhle [451 June 27, 1972 [54] FOAM DISPENSING HEAD [72] Inventor: Emil T. Ruhle, 7050 8. 92nd St., Franklin,

' Wis. 5 3132 [22] Filed: Feb. 20, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 12,926

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,458,263 7/1969 Gibbs ..2l5/90 X 3,085,329 4/1963 Golczynski... .....239/590.3 X 3,024,787 3/1962 Birch 128/203 Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner-Thomas E. Kocovsky Attorney-John P. Hines [57] ABSTRACT A foam dispensing head for attachment to a pressurized container. The spout is a diffuser which decreases the velocity of the foam and permits the spout to be placed directly against the surface on which the foam is to be applied.

1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures FOAM DISPENSING HEAD This invention pertains in general to the dispensing of aerosols in foam form and more particularly to an attachment for an aerosol foam container which permits the foam to be applied directly to the surface on which it will be used. The invention is particularly adapted for use with toiletries in cream, paste, and lather form such as for instance shaving cream, soap, etc. as well as a wide variety of other material which it may be desirable to dispense in a foaming condition such as for instance glue or paste.

More and more materials are being packaged in aerosol containers because of theease with which the materials packaged can be used. The material is contained under pressure and it is only necessary to depress the container valve to release the material.

In some instances, however, the fact that the material is pressurized causes some difi'lculty in their use. As an example, shaving cream which is contained in an aerosol can cannot be applied directly to the face because of the velocity at which the material leaves the can. It would be desirable if the shaving cream could be applied directly to the face without first dispensing it into the user's hand.

lt is therefore the intention and general object of this invention to provide an attachment for a pressurized foam container which permits applying a controlled layer of the foam directly to the surface on which it will be used.

A more specific object of the subject invention is to provide an attachment of the hereinbefore described type wherein a nozzle in the form of a diffuser is utilized to decrease the foam velocity so that it can be uniformly applied.

A further specific object of the invention is to provide an attachment of the hereinbefore described type wherein the diffuser nozzle is provided with a plurality of small dispensing openings which are recessed relative to the nozzle end which contacts the surface on which the foam is being applied.

These and other objects of the subject invention will become more fully apparent as the following description is read in light of the attached drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the attachment of this invention connected to a conventional aerosol container;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an end view of one form of dispensing end for the attachment.

Referring to the drawing the pressurized aerosol can is indicated generally at 6. As is conventional in this form of container the can 6 is provided with a dispensing valve (not shown) which is opened to release the contents of the can. A button I is provided at the top of the can and is operatively connected to the valve so that when the button is depressed the contents of the can is dispensed through a spout 8 usually connected to the upper side of the can as shown.

A diffuser nozzle generally designated 9 is adapted in any one of a number of ways to be connected to the can 6 and about the spout 8. In this particular instance a yoke l l is provided with a saddle 12 which slidably engages the nozzle about it's neck portion 13. A pair of pivot arms are connected to the clamp and extend rearward and are disposed on either side of the can 6. These arms are then connected to the can in any conventional manner. As shown herein for purposes of illustration the arms 14 may be constructed of a spring flexible material. The ends of the arms are provided with points 16 which engage the sides of the can 6. The cans are usually constructed of plastic or a soft metal. Therefore, small indentations can easily be made in the sides of the can 6 to receive the points 16. In many instances it may be possible to force the points 16 against the sides of the can to form the necessary indentation. The arms 14 are forced about the sides of the can so that the points 16 spring into engagement with the indentations. This provides a pivotal connection of the nozzle 9 to the can 6.

The neck portion 13 of the nozzle is positioned about the can spout 8 to accept the contents of the can 6 and also provide a support for the nozzle. In most cases the nozzle will be constructed of a semi-flexible material such as plastic which will permit the neck to be forced onto the spout 8 and thereby provide a sealed connection.

The nozzle 9 diverges so that the free end 17 is considerable larger in cross section than the cross section of the spout 8. Although the cross sectional configuration of the free end 17 of the nozzle may be of any desired shape it is herein shown as being circular. The free end 17 of the nozzle is closed except for a plurality of small spaced openings 18. Furthermore, a serrated edge 19 may be provided about the openings 18 so that these openings are recessed from the terminal end of the nozzle.

With this arrangement the end of the nozzle can be placed directly against the surface on which it is desired to apply the contents of an aerosol can. The serrated edge is placed fiat against the surface. When the can button 7 is depressed the contents of the can such as a shaving cream is dispensed through the spout 8 at a relatively high velocity. This velocity is reduced due to the diffuser effect of the nozzle 9. The cream will then fill the nozzle and slowly ooze from the holes 18. A layer of cream equal in thickness to the depth of the serrations 19 can then be applied to the shaver's face.

This nozzle 9 can be cleaned by completely removing it from the can. However, it may also be cleaned by sliding the neck through the saddle 12 until the end of the neck 13 clears the spout 8. The nozzle can then be pivoted upward about the pivot connections of the arms 14 to the can 6.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An attachment for an aerosol container having a spout for discharging the contents of the container at a first velocity comprising: a nozzle having a small end opening supportingly connected in container content receiving relation to said spout, said nozzle including side-walls diverging outwardly to a terminal end wall, said end wall provided with a plurality of spaced openings therein for discharging the container contents from said nozzle at a velocity lower than said first velocity; and a pair of spring biased arms having facing pointed ends for engagement with opposite sides of said container for pivotal movement relative thereto, said arms being jointed at their free ends by a saddle which supportingly and slidably engages the side walls of said nozzle intermediate the ends thereof.

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1. An attachment for an aerosol container having a spout for discharging the contents of the container at a first velocity comprising: a nozzle having a small end opening supportingly connected in container content receiving relation to said spout, said nozzle including side-walls diverging outwardly to a terminal end wall, said end wall provided with a plurality of spaced openings therein for discharging the container contents from said nozzle at a velocity lower than said first velocity; and a pair of spring biased arms having facing pointed ends for engagement with opposite sides of said container for pivotal movement relative thereto, said arms being jointed at their free ends by a saddle which supportingly and slidably engages the side walls of said nozzle intermediate the ends thereof. 